Roommates (Klance College AU)

52

Lance, finally returning back to the dorm after collecting his thoughts, felt drained and hollow. He noticed Keith had returned and laid in his bed. Lance walked over and sat on the edge of Keith's bed, taking the other off guard, though he decided not to react.

"Allura and I broke up," Lance stated.

Keith scoffed. "Okay."

Lance glanced down at his hands, clasping them together. Unsure of what to say next.

"Is that supposed to mean something to me?" Keith asked coldly. "I don't care."

Lance paused, his throat tight. He felt the sting of Keith's words but understood the defensive posture. "I guess I just thought you should know," he replied quietly.

Keith shifted slightly, not looking at Lance. There was a long silence, thick with tension, before he finally spoke. "What do you want from me, Lance? Why are you telling me this?"

Lance took a deep breath, his voice steadier than he felt. "I don't know exactly. Maybe part of me hoped it would change something between us," he admitted. "But I also think... I think I needed to say it out loud, to someone who knows me well."

Keith finally looked at Lance, his eyes searching before he finally spoke up, his words like nails on a chalk board to Lance. "Get out of my face."

Lance flinched, the blunt dismissal cutting deeper than he expected. He lingered for a moment, his mouth opening as if to say something more, but then he closed it, nodded slightly, and stood up.

"I'm sorry, Keith," he said quietly, his voice thick with regret. "I'll give you space." Lance got up quickly and back ran out of the dorm, accidentally slamming the door behind him.

As the door slammed shut, the sound reverberated through the hallway, echoing Lance's tumultuous emotions. He leaned against the wall outside the door for a moment, his breath shallow, trying to compose himself. He clasped his hand on his chest, trying to slow down his heart as he fell to the floor, tears blurring his vision. "Fuck," he whispered.

Sitting there on the cold, hard floor, Lance tried to collect himself, feeling the weight of everything that had happened. The empty halls seemed to amplify the echo of his own heart beating, a reminder of the loneliness that now enveloped him. He hit the back of his head hard against the wall three times and sobbed harder, feeling embarrassed by the other students peeking through doors and looking at him the way they were.

He managed to push himself off the floor, wiping away the tears with the back of his hand, determined to find a more private place to regain his composure. The last thing he wanted was to break down in front of everyone.

With shaky legs, Lance made his way to the nearest restroom on campus, locking himself inside. There, he allowed himself a few more moments to cry, away from prying eyes. The cold, impersonal tiles and the echo of his sobs in the small space seemed to mirror his inner turmoil.

After several minutes, he took several deep breaths, each one a bit steadier than the last. He stood, washed his face, and looked at himself in the mirror. The reflection that stared back was a stark reminder of his vulnerability and the work he needed to do within himself.

Lance exited the bathroom and decided to go for a walk outside, needing the fresh air to clear his mind. As he stepped outside, the cool evening breeze brushed against his face, offering a momentary respite from the suffocating weight of his emotions.

He walked aimlessly, letting his feet carry him wherever they would go. The campus was quiet, with only the occasional rustling of leaves and distant laughter of students to break the silence. Lance found himself gravitating towards the pond on the edge of campus, a place he and Allura had often visited together.

Lance reached over and picked up a stone to attempt to skip across the water, but failed. He then picked up a bigger rock, one bigger than his hand, and chucked it into the water in frustration, causing himself to get splashed as it didn't even get that far.

The splash echoed in the quiet night, small ripples expanding outward, disappearing into the darkness of the pond. Lance watched them fade away, feeling a pang of guilt for disturbing the peaceful scene. It was as if even the pond rejected his turmoil, unwilling to hold onto the disturbance he caused.

Exhausted, Lance slumped down onto the grassy bank, drawing his knees up to his chest and resting his head on them. The soft sounds of the night, the crickets chirping and the occasional call of a night bird, contrasted sharply with the chaos inside him.

As he sat there, his mind wandered back to his conversation with Keith. He replayed each harsh word, each pause, each moment of hope that had been swiftly crushed. Lance knew he couldn't force a change in their dynamic. Of course he knew, that's why he started going out with Allura in the first place, but... he liked Keith so much. It hurts knowing he ruined more than the spark between them, and also their friendship.

Lance sighed, feeling the cool night air wash over him, mingling with the pain that seemed to seep into his bones. His thoughts tangled up with regret and what-ifs, twisting tighter with each replay of the day's events. It was clear Keith didn't see him in the same light, and Lance had to come to terms with that painful truth, no matter how much it hurt.

He wondered if there was a way to mend things, to at least salvage their friendship, but the starkness of Keith's dismissal echoed in his mind, closing off paths before he could even take a step. Maybe they're just too different. Maybe they should've just minded their own business from the get go and never interacted more than necessary for people living together.

Lance sighed as he recalled the kiss they shared a while back. He wondered what Keith had been feeling in that moment, and why he even let it happen. Was it just a heat of the moment thing?

The night grew colder, and the breeze seemed to cut right through him, but Lance remained seated, unwilling to leave the solitude of the pond. He tried to piece together where things had gone wrong, not just with Keith, but with himself. Had he been so eager for a connection that he'd misread friendship as something more?

The soft sounds of the night seemed to offer a gentle comfort, urging him to accept the situation and move forward. Yet, it felt almost impossible to let go of the hope that things could be different. The idea of facing Keith again, dealing with the awkwardness and the loss of what little bond they had, weighed heavily on him.

Lance decided he'd leave Keith alone for a few days, and hopefully this would resolve at least a little bit after then.